


Among the Stars

by ghost_bitch



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alien Culture, Aliens, Cultural Differences, Culture Shock, Legends, Misunderstandings, Storytelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:08:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29100795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghost_bitch/pseuds/ghost_bitch
Summary: Living on a ship with a crew of aliens, one of them being your best friend, one hating your guts, and one thinking you are the most interesting thing to ever cross their threshold, is not somthing many people get to do.Virgil just wants to take a nap.Or, a series of oneshots for a wonderful au that's wormed its way into my heart!
Comments: 3
Kudos: 55





	1. Icarus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [delimeful](https://archiveofourown.org/users/delimeful/gifts).
  * Inspired by [watch it burn and rust](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20621636) by [delimeful](https://archiveofourown.org/users/delimeful/pseuds/delimeful). 



> Howdy! This was just a quick exercise in diolauge to start off. Italicized words are English, and the rest is common. 
> 
> I highly reccomend you read wibar first, as that will provide needed context for this! 
> 
> Tw: n/a

The moments of peace between crew members are few and far between since the human had joined their ranks, but they do exist. Right now, for example, the four of them lay draped across various pieces of furniture. Even Virgil seems to be relaxed, though he does lift his head to check the exits every few minutes. 

The three original crew members are taking turns telling stories from their home planets. Virgil, despite seeming to have fallen asleep several times, occasionally pops back up to laugh quietly or gasp at one of Roman’s particularly embellished stories. Once Patton, Logan, and Roman had all told a story from their planets, they turn to look at Virgil expectantly. He opens his eyes, seemingly roused by the sudden silence, and blinks at them as he processes what they want him to do. He points at his chest, raising his eyebrows and blinking sleepily. 

“Me?” Virgil asks, and Patton nods. Roman frowns but doesn't object. They had all taken turns, and now it was Virgil’s. Despite the Cravon’s distaste for humanity, he still believes in fairness above all else. 

“Oh, I haven't heard any human stories in… a while,” Virgil says, sitting up a bit and clearing his throat. “But I can remember some stuff.” 

Patton and Logan lean forward expectantly, while Roman just closes his eyes, but it is clear that he’s ready to listen. 

“Uh- my favorite story growing up was the legend of Icarus.” Virgil begins, and Logan’s hands itch to take notes, but he refrains.    
  


“So once- uh  _ once upon a time _ , there was a man named Daedalus. He was an inventor, and he built a huge uh- well it was a  _ labyrinth, _ but I don't know the common word. It was a bunch of walls that was hard to get through?”    
“A maze?” Patton offers, and Virgil snaps his fingers. 

“That’s it. So Daedalus was ordered by the  _ King-  _ or the leader, to build a giant maze to trap a monster in, but the leader was evil and he sent…  _ shit, I can't remember.  _ Well, he sent someone- a woman, into the maze, thinking she would never get out, but Daedalus gave her a magic ball of string that would guide her through the maze. She killed the monster and escaped. When the  _ King  _ found out, he was angry with Daedalus and trapped him and his son Icarus in the center of the maze.” 

“And Icarus is the subject of the legend?” Logan asks, pronouncing the name a bit stiffly. Virgil nods and continues. 

“So every day Daedalus and Icarus would stare up at the sky and try to think of a way to get out. All they had to eat was  _ seagulls-  _ which is a type of bird. They started to think of a plan, taking the fat from the birds and making wax, and covering it with feathers. After  _ years _ of work, they had made two sets of wax wings. The father was going to leave first, but he gave his son a warning before he left.” 

The other three crewmates leaned in to hear it, even Roman, despite himself. 

“He told his son to fly neither too high, or it would be too hot and his wings would melt, or too low, or the water from the sea would dampen his wings and weigh him down. And then Daedalus climbed one of the marble walls of the maze and flew away. The next day Icarus climbed the wall as well.” Virgil pauses, eyes flicking to Patton.    
“Uh- the story gets a little sad from here, Pat. Just so you know.” He says, a bit nervously. Patton nods, eyes wide with interest that tells all of them that nothing is going to get him to stop listening. 

“Alright, so-” Virgil continues. “Icarus climbed the wall and stood, barefoot on top, staring out at the sea. He can see the outline of his  _ home  _ on the horizon, and his heart aches for it.” The three crewmates pretend not to see the longing in Virgil’s eyes as he speaks of Icarus’ home. “He steps forward and jumps,” Virgil pauses, reaching out his hand as though it were the winged man. “And he  _ flies _ .” He says quietly, reaching upwards. 

“Up, and up, and up… and then he stops. He is in the  _ safe zone _ now, and he remembers his father’s warnings. But he is  _ so, so  _ happy. All he can feel is the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. All he can think about is how he is finally  _ free _ . He’s out of the place that held him for so long.” Virgil’s gaze turns sad. “So he keeps going up. Higher and higher until his feathers start to fall away into the ocean below and he feels hot wax drip onto his back. Icarus doesn't have time to fly any lower, his wings are already gone by the time he can think past his joy.” 

Virgil’s hand falls from where it was stretched up to the ceiling, falling into his lap. He blinks down at it, frowning.    
“And he falls.”    
Patton gasps, always a good audience member. 

“He falls down into the endless ocean and drowns,” Virgil says solemnly. Roman’s mouth twitches down at the corners, and he brings up a hand to cover it. 

“When Daedalus heard about what happened, he flew back out to the ocean and got back his son’s body. He took it back to Icarus’ home and buried him there. He named a nearby island after his lost son, and to this day that land is called Icaria.”    
  


There is a long pause, as the three crewmembers wait for Icarus to return from the grave, to have his great, heroic moment, but Virgil just shuffles awkwardly.    
“The end.” He says finally. There is silence, and then-

“Well, some hero he was.” Roman scoffs. Patton smacks his arm. 

“Roman! Don't be rude!” He scolds.    
“It’s fine, Patton, he wasn't a hero.” Virgil soothes.    
“What was he then,” Logan asks, curiously. “If he wasn't a hero.”    
Virgil leans back a bit, thinking. 

“He was… a warning. I think.” Virgil says slowly. “It’s a story to tell children so they know how to keep themselves safe. About recklessness.” 

“Well that’s stupid,” Roman says callously, barely avoiding another smack from Patton. “Humans teach children not to fly as high as they can? What about chasing your dreams.”

Virgil looks at him a little sadly and smiles.    
“I mean, better to be alive and mediocre than dead and great.” 

Roman hums nonchalantly, though it’s clear that he doesn’t agree. Patton seems to sense the argument about to break out because he claps his tiny hands together with a smile that only looks slightly forced. 

“Well! Time to make dinner! Virgil, would you mind helping me?” He asks though it is clear to everyone in the room that he will not be taking no for an answer. Virgil smiles, careful not to show his teeth, and follows Patton to the kitchen, leaving just Logan and Roman in the living room. 

“Well, who knew human legends were so depressing.” Roman huffs. Logan frowns at the cravon.    
“Roman, don't be rude, things are different on Earth, you know that,” Logan says sternly. Roman sighs, sagging into the couch. 

“I knoooooowww _!  _ But would it kill them to be a little lighthearted for once?” Roman asks, flailing his arms dramatically as Logan sits next to him.    
“It might.” 

The two of them sit quietly for a while, only getting up when Patton calls them for dinner. Surprisingly, no arguments break out between Roman and Virgil during the meal. 

The next day, Virgil tells Roman the story of Gilgamesh, as it is the most heroic story he can think of. Roman won't say it, but he much prefers it to yesterdays story. 


	2. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is an old one I uploaded to tumblr a while ago, but i edited it a bit and decided to post it here too   
> Italicized words are in English, the rest is common
> 
> Virgil realizes his birthday is tomorrow and is Not Happy About It.

Clownery, hijinks, shenanigans, whatever you wanted to call it, these events were commonplace on the Mindscape. They had increased pretty significantly since the addition of their latest crewmember, a deathworlder who had been abducted from his home planet and forced to survive in a universe to wide to fathom. Or Virgil, if you wanted to be polite. 

  
  


This particular misadventure began when Virgil asked if Logan would be able to calculate the date on Earth, which Logan took as a personal challenge. The two of them spent several hours planning and theorizing, Logan speaking in his normal flowery cadence, and Virgil in his slightly stiff common, occasionally replacing a word with an English one if he couldn't think of the right translation.

"Well when I... left, it was  _ winter _ , so-" Virgil isn't able to finish his sentence before Logan butts back in, hands twitching excitedly.

“What is winter?” He asks, leaning forward. Virgil blinks a couple of times, trying to think of the right words to describe it. 

"When the sun is far away. It's cold?" Virgil offers hesitantly. Logan nods thoughtfully, seemingly appeased. 

"Yes, we have that too, on my home planet. We call it  _ Abether _ ." Logan says matter-of-factly, Virgil looks interested, and he opens his mouth to ask a question but is cut off by the door slamming open, making him jump to his feet and draw his shoulders up defensively, his mouth curling into a snarl. 

It, of course, is Roman and Patton, both bearing warm plates of food. Virgil catches sight of Roman's vicious glare at his defensive behavior and immediately sinks in guilt. Thankfully for the energy in the room, Patton's eyes were too scrunched up in his own version of a smile to see Virgil's aggressive reaction to his arrival. Logan side-eyes him slightly, which Virgil ignores with practiced ease. 

"What are y'all up to?" Patton asks cheerfully, setting down the plate of food in front of Virgil. He knows that it's his because it has the most food on it. Virgil can't really find it in himself to feel bad about being allotted the biggest portions, both because of his demanding physiology and the fact that he is severely underweight, even for his naturally lithe figure. 

  
  


Virgil eats as quickly as he dares without coming across as predatory, and finds himself, not for the first time, grieving his life before he was taken. He shakes off the dark thoughts threatening to cloud his mind and tunes back into the conversation. 

"-We've been trying to figure out what time of year it is on Virgil's home planet," Logan explains evenly to the others. Virgil nods in confirmation. 

"Why's that?" Patton asks, sitting down to eat and popping a piece of yellow fruit into his mouth. 

"I just want to know," Virgil says quickly. His eagerness to brush off the question draws curious stares from all three of his crewmates, and Virgil curses himself internally. 

"Yeah, right. What's the real reason?" Roman asks accusatorily. Virgil frowns, swallowing the strange meat in his mouth before speaking. He had learned a good few weeks ago not to talk with his mouth full. 

"I just... I want to know what's going on back home." Virgil says hastily, averting his eyes to look at the quickly passing stars outside the window. The others must sense that it's a heavy topic for him because the questioning stops, and Vigril catches Patton elbowing Roman in a weak spot in his natural armor when he thinks Virgil isn't looking. The sight makes a small, closed-lip smile appear on his face.

They all eat in silence until the computer (or an alien equivalent of it) lets out a shrill beep that has everyone in the room startle in surprise. 

"Ah!" Logan says brightly, setting down his half-eaten food and walking towards the large black monitor. "The results are in!" 

Virgil gets up too, moving silently to Logan's side. He tilts his head curiously, and then straightens it, a bit self-conscious when he sees the curious look Logan shoots him. Virgil clears his throat pointedly to get Logan back on track, making the four-armed alien jump and turn back to the screen. 

"Here we are..." Logan says, staring at a block of text that is completely incomprehensible to Virgil. "Ah, the date is in your language. I guess there wouldn't be an approximate translation. Can you read this?" Logan asks, stepping out of Virgil's line of sight so he can have a better view of the scrawling text. Virgil leans forward, squinting slightly at the only familiar line in the script. 

"It is...  _ December 18th _ ." A shock of emotion runs through Virgil making him go a bit lightheaded. He takes a step back, ignoring the concerned looks of his crewmates. 

"Virgil?" Patton asks softly, brows furrowing. "Is everything okay?" 

Virgil knows the signs of an oncoming panic attack, he just doesn't know why this is making him panic. It shouldn't matter. He usually didnt celebrate his birthday even on Earth, and he's had countless ones pass by in space without even noticing. Why does it matter so much now? 

A small hand is on his elbow all of a sudden, and Virgil's swirling vision returns to him enough to see Patton's worried face. 

"Do you need to leave the room?" Patton asks calmly. Virgil shakes his head no. He's fine. He is. He just needs to go cry it out in his room. 

"No, It's fine. I just... need to go lie down." Virgil grinds out, wincing at his rough voice. Before he can go Logan places a hand on his lower arm. Virgil jumps, but at this point, he supposes he should just be proud of himself for not putting his crewmate in a headlock out of shock. 

"It's really nothing serious, it's just..." Virgil has to take a second to breathe so his next words don't come out as a sob. "It's my  _ birthday _ tomorrow." Despite Virgil's best efforts, the last word comes out cracked, and he quickly turns to hide his embarrassed face. 

He makes it out of the room without having a breakdown and practically runs to his room. He wedges himself into the cupboard he sleeps in, ignores how hard he's shaking, and cries. 

  
  


The three remaining crew members stare after the human's retreating back, his shoulders tight and hovering somewhere around his ears. 

"What was that?" Roman asks incredulously, frowning. "What about the date would upset him that much?" 

"Maybe it's a holiday back home?" Patton suggests, his face scrunched up in worry, his feathers making a soft rustling sound as they shifted with his movement.

"Do humans even have holidays? There can't be that many things to celebrate on Earth." Roman says derisively, crossing his arms, though the other two in the room have no trouble detecting a touch of worry to his tone. Patton suppresses a fond smile behind a clawed hand. 

"Most cultures do." Logan surmises, holding a hand to his chin in thought, a gesture he picked up from Virgil. "I wouldn't expect humans to be that different, despite their... eccentricities." 

Roman and Logan both look to their smallest crew member, making him blink in surprise. 

"What?" Patton asks. 

"Well, what do you think?" Logan asks. "Something is clearly upsetting him, and you know him the best out of all of us." Patton takes a deep breath, eyes hardening in concentration. 

"I don't know." Patton sighs out. "He doesn't really love talking about himself- as I'm sure you guys know. He values his privacy a lot, most of the things he's told me weren't personal." 

"Well, why don't you just ask him?" Roman says, attention beginning to drift. Patton shifts uncomfortably. 

"I don't know... he seemed so sad. I don't think he wants to talk about it," Patton shuffles his feathers nervously. "And I don't want to make things worse." 

"Well," Roman sighs. "It's either that or let him sulk in his room for the next few days, and I don't think anyone wants that.." 

"Aw, Roman, that's so sweet of you!" Patton coos, pressing his hands together. Roman bristles immediately. 

"What? No, it's not! I just don't want him bringing down the mood of the ship!" Roman defends before turning on his tail and marching out of the room, huffing in offense at the 'absolutely insane suggestion that he cares about the human's well-being'.

Patton and Logan watch him go with slight smiles before turning back to the task at hand. 

"I do think you should go talk to him, though." Logan intones, flicking his ears back slightly. Patton sighs, closing his eyes. 

"I know." 

_____________

And so a few minutes later Patton is standing outside of Virgil's door, fist raised to knock, rehearsing what he is going to say. He swallows his nerves and shakes his head. 

"No, come on Patton," He says to himself, quietly enough that Virgil won't hear him lingering outside his door like a nervous child. "Just go in and ask what's wrong." 

Patton takes a deep breath and hesitates a few moments longer, then he hears a muffled sob from beyond the door, and that is enough to entice him. He knocks, three times in quick succession, and waits. 

"...Patton?" Comes Virgil's shaky voice from past the door. Patton winces at how wet his friend's voice is. 

"Yup! Can I come in, kiddo?" Patton asks, trying to inject as much cheer as possible into his voice. 

"...yes," Virgil says miserably. Patton wastes no time opening the door and popping his head in. The room is dark, but that is no surprise, Virgil keeps it dark most of the time, he says it reminds him of his room back home. Virgil is on his bed, which is different, because he usually sleeps in the cupboard, wrapped tightly in the thick white comforter. There are tear tracks running down his face and his eyes are red.

"Oh kiddo," Patton trills sadly, stepping forward and crawling into the bed with his friend. Virgil wastes no time in lifting an arm so Patton can shuffle under the blanket and be pressed to Virgil's warm chest. 

"What's wrong?" Patton asks once he's finally shifted enough so that his feathers don't bend uncomfortably. 

"It's nothing," Virgil says after a drawn-out sigh. Patton gives him a look, and Virgil averts his eyes guiltily. Patton seems to have won this particular battle, however, because Virgil groans in annoyance and lets his face flop down onto one of the soft pillows decorating the bed. 

Virgil says something then, but it is far too muffled by the pillow for Patton to make out any of the words. 

"Pardon me, kiddo? I don't speak pillow." Patton says. Virgil turns his head away from the soft fabric to give him an unimpressed look. 

"That wasn't even a good joke," Virgil grumbles. 

"Well I'm not on my A-game," Patton says. "I'm worried about you. Now, what's wrong?"

There is a pause, and for a few moments Patton worries that he is going to have to go back to the others with no information to his name, but eventually, Virgil quietly speaks. 

"...It's my  _ birthday _ tomorrow." He says sadly. Patton tries to remember if he's heard that word before, but can't recall Virgil ever talking about it. 

"What is...  _ birthday _ ?" Patton asks, sounding out the unfamiliar English slowly. Virgil rolls over with a groan, trying to find the words to explain this new concept. 

"It's like... the day you were born but... again?" Virgil says eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. 

"You mean like an anniversary?" Patton suggests. Virgil snaps his fingers. 

"That's the word. The anniversary of your birth. Mine is tomorrow." 

The room is quiet for a few seconds longer. 

"...But why did that make you so sad?" Patton asks quietly. Virgil doesn't answer for a while. 

"I usually celebrate with my family," Virgil says, voice tight in the way it tended to get before he started crying. Patton decides not to push. He doesn't think he needs to either, he can't imagine how much it would hurt to be in Virgil's position. 

"Oh. I'm sorry." Patton says softly. Virgil shrugs. 

"Not to be rude or anything, Pat, but I think I need to be alone right now," Virgil says quietly, sounding exhausted. 

"Of course," Patton mutters, climbing down from the bed and padding to the door. He ducks behind it but pauses before closing it. 

"I hope you feel better soon," Patton whispers before shutting the door behind him. 

Once Patton is out in the hallway, he takes a deep breath to calm his nerves and stop himself from bursting into empathetic tears and breaks into a dead sprint down the hall to find Logan.

________________________

When Logan first joined the crew aboard the Mindscape, he may have been startled when their smallest member hurtled toward him in a glowing blue blur and slammed into his legs with enough force to topple a more fragile person, but he had been a crewmember for far too long for this kind of thing to surprise him anymore. 

"Greetings Patton," Logan says easily, adjusting his glasses. "I take it you've accrued information on what has upset Virgil so greatly?" Patton nods furiously. 

"We need to read your books on humans!" Patton blurts out, near tears. Logan blinks in surprise, as Patton is not normally one to be so insistent on research. 

"... Alright? I believe there is nothing found in that book that Virgil could not tell us himself." Logan reminds him. Patton shakes his head. 

"He doesn't want to talk about it, but we need to learn about  _ birthdays _ ." 

" _ Birthdays _ ..." Logan repeats, eyes growing distant as he tries to recall the word. "Ah, yes. I have a section in my studies about that. Follow me." 

Patton does not hesitate to trail behind Logan to his lab where most of his research is located. On the way, they pass Roman, who is scribbling in a deep red notebook that none of the others are allowed to read. Logan clears his throat as they pass, making the cravon jump in surprise. He closes the book and smiles up at the two of them before catching the look on Patton's face and jumping into action. 

"What has upset you, my dear feathered friend?" Roman cries, irrationally loud for how close he is to the two of them. 

"We need to find out how to celebrate Virgil's  _ birthday _ !" Patton cries. Roman's furious expression sinks some when he realizes there is no immediate danger to be vanquished. 

"...Why do we need to do that?" Roman asks, setting his book down on his desk. 

"Virgil said you're supposed to celebrate with your family," Patton says, sounding miserable. "He's stuck with no way to see them, I can't imagine how awful that would be." 

There is a long pause in the hallway before Roman lets out a truly dramatic sigh. 

"Fine. What do we need to do?" He asks, rolling his eyes. Patton perks up immediately, but before he can begin babbling about how far Roman has come Logan starts to speak. 

"That is what we are trying to figure out," Logan explains evenly. "We are heading to my lab now to find any notes I've taken on this holiday." 

___________

With everything explained and all crewmembers but one in on the plan, they pour over the document, though it is unfortunately sparse in the useful information department. 

"Well, it's good we didnt tell Virgil about this!" Patton says cheerfully. "It says here these celebrations are surprises!" Roman frowns. 

"I don't know if it's a good idea to surprise a human. Fight or flight is not something I want to activate in him." Roman argues, already envisioning the worst possible outcome. Patton rolls his eyes good-naturedly, mood restored at the prospect of cheering Virgil up. 

"Oh hush silly, he's seen worse!" Patton rolls over into a more comfortable position. "Once when we were living on that planet together, a big kitty-looking thing jumped out of the bushes! Virgil was so surprised he grabbed me and jumped into a tree!" 

Patton laughs at the memory, though Roman looks a bit disturbed by the tale of Virgil's athletic prowess. Logan makes a mental note to ask Virgil about the specifics of adrenaline boosting his physical skills. 

"Here we are," Logan says calmly, flipping to the page he had been looking for. "Celebration of the anniversary of birth in humans."

The three of them crowd around the page, Roman a bit reluctantly, while Logan begins to read aloud. 

"Family of the subject of the celebration gather in a dark room and wait for the subject to arrive. Once the subject arrives, the family lights the room and shouts 'shock!', though that is a rough translation. Then the celebration begins." Logan takes a breath before continuing. 

"The room is often decorated with long strips of colored paper and rubber bags filled with air. The centerpiece of the celebration is a sweet bread with sugary paste. A number of burning sticks are placed on the dessert correlating with the subject's age. The family sings a ritual song and then the subject blows out the fire. Then the dessert is eaten. Offerings are then given to the subject, wrapped in paper. After all of this has taken place, the celebration is complete." Logan finishes. 

"Ugh, that's complicated. Do we have to do this?" Roman whines, though he is cut off with a squeak of pain as Patton elbows him in the side. 

"It's not that bad, guys!" Patton insists, clapping his hands together cheerfully. "We have a whole day to put this together!" 

  
  


____________

The day moves faster than any of them expected. It was several hours of preparation, with each of them handling different parts. Patton was tasked with finding gifts, as he knew Virgil the best and would, therefore, know what he liked. Roman was in charge of decorating, as he had the best eye for aesthetics, and Logan was going to be baking the sweet bread. 

By noon of the next day, everything was ready. The sweetbread sat in the middle of a perfectly decorated table alongside three gifts wrapped in shimmering paper. 

Patton was practically buzzing with excitement. 

"Okay! I'm going to get him! Everyone hide!" Patton trills. The others follow his instructions, ducking under the table. Patton turns out the lights before he leaves, humming cheerfully. 

Patton practically runs to Virgil's room, though he slows as he nears the door, not wanting to seem suspicious. Patton leans on the door frame and pokes his head past Virgil's slightly ajar door. Virgil is still lying on the bed, so Patton clears his throat. Virgil doesn't move, so Patton assumes he must be sleeping, and while he's glad that Virgil is getting rest, Patton is not willing to let him mope any longer. 

So he tiptoes to Virgil's bedside and shakes his friend's shoulder gently. Virgil, always a light sleeper, snaps awake instantly, reaching his hand out to see what had woken him. 

"It's just me!" Patton chirps in his own language. Virgil relaxes immediately, flopping back into the covers. 

"No, don't fall back asleep!" Patton implores, shaking his shoulder once again. Virgil groans, but rolls over to face him. "I need your help!" Patton says, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach that comes with the lie. Virgil immediately snaps to attention, worry clouding his eyes. 

"What? What's wrong?" Virgil asks quickly, eyes darting around the room to find some invisible danger. 

"Nothing bad!" Patton insists, waving his hands to dispel Virgil's worry. He grabs Virgil's hand. Well, really he grabs Virgil's finger, but that can't be helped with their size difference. 

Patton drags Virgil through the ship, excitement mounting as he walked. He is practically vibrating by the time they reach the door that the party is behind. He turns to Virgil, hoping his friend can't see his suppressed joy. 

"Okay, here we are!" Patton announces. Virgil raises an eyebrow. 

"You woke me up for a door?" He asks, sounding a bit annoyed. Patton can't find it in him to wait any longer, and so he flings open the door and shoves Virgil inside. 

The lights go on, and Logan and Roman both dive out from under the table, chorusing with Patton's shout. 

"Shock!" They all chorus. Virgil takes a step back, eyes wide. 

"What?" He asks, bewildered. Patton rushes into the room, eager to show off all the work they had done. 

"You seemed so sad about not being able to celebrate your  _ birthday _ , so we did some research and threw you a party!" Patton cries happily. Virgil still has not moved from the doorway, and when Patton turns, he is horrified to see tears welling up in his eyes. 

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Patton trills, feathers puffing up in agitation. "I know we’re not your real family, but we thought-" 

"You guys did this for me?" Virgil asks softly, cutting of Patton's worried rambling. He has a hand pressed to his chest, which is not a gesture that Patton recognizes. 

"Thank you," Virgil says, and even though there are tears slowly making their way down his face, he is smiling softly. 

_____________

  
  


All in all, it's not the worst birthday party Virgil has ever had. That award went to his party in third grade when he invited the entire class and no one showed up. Sure his crewmates almost started a fire with their complete misunderstanding of what a candle is, and the birthday cake is more of a bread than anything, but they did this for him. 

Virgil smiles at his friends as they sing a horribly off-key rendition of Happy Birthday, trying to copy his example from earlier. He laughs when they're finished, and they laugh too. 

He may not have his family here, but he thinks he can learn to be happy with the people he's found. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked it leave a comment!! I love getting those!!!!!!!!! 
> 
> You can reach me @posusm on tumblr


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